Oliver F. Williams – författare

We are living in an exciting and challenging era, characterized by what many are calling globalization—the integration of economic activity on an international scale. It involves unparalleled movements not only of capital but also of goods and services, technologies, and people.Globalization is perceived as both a promise and a threat. The promise is seen in the rising prosperity experienced by many in rich and poor countries alike in the aftermath of international linkages. The threat is the growing perception, by nations and individuals, that we can no longer control our way of life. Whether it be corporate downsizing, takeovers, bankruptcies, human rights abuses, or the loss of jobs, the pace of change and the disruption of communities is very troubling to many.We are experiencing a growing call for a global ethic. From various parts of the world, proposals are emerging for a new global code of conduct, along with an ever-increasing concern for the promotion and protection of human rights in developing countries. To further the discussion on global codes of conduct, the University of Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Religious Values in Business presents the reflections of a group of distinguished leaders from business, the academy, and other parts of civil society. This resulting collection asks important questions for us to consider in the rush toward globalization: What is the next step in this chorus of activity? Should we try to move toward one global code of conduct? What accountability structures are helpful? Global Codes of Conduct: An Idea Whose Time Has Come will be of value to all readers interested in the emerging global economy. It will be particularly useful as a textbook for courses in business ethics.

The business world is sometimes unfairly caricatured, as a world where everyone knows the price of everything and yet appreciates the value of nothing. It is our moral imagination that allows us to become sensitive to the dimensions of a situation that are likely to lead to the harming of human welfare. The essays gathered in The Moral Imagination: How Literature and Films Can Stimulate Ethical Reflection in the Business World show how, through literature, art, and film, society might learn to develop a sense of moral imagination.The premise of this collection is that the more interesting and prior question is Who are we? rather than What shall we do? Cultivating the imagination through art, literature, and film illuminates our understanding of what it means to be human and thus brings us closer to answering this fundamental question. By having a genuine sense of self, one can expand an impoverished moral vision and open the way for the greatness of heart that is needed to guide us through an ethical life in business.The focus on moral images in business ethics is credited, in part, to Aristotle. Some of these essays can be seen as arguing for a retrieval of the Aristotelian insight on ethics for the business ethics of our time. Ethics in this perspective is not primarily concerned with analyzing situations so that we can make correct decisions but rather with reflecting on what is constitutive of the good life. The fostering of this philosophical tradition can bring a crucial corrective to the way business ethics is practiced today.

The new emphasis on spirituality in the workplace has been widely discussed in recent years and reported in major publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Fortune. Spirituality seems to be a basic human good essential for human flourishing. The contributors to this volume are all proponents of spirituality in the workplace, yet all raise important questions about this movement and what it means. What are the moral questions that should guide leaders? Is spirituality being treated as simply an instrumental good, valued for its usefulness in enhancing productivity and well-being? What are the responsibilities of business leaders? Of business schools and their faculty? Of churches? The essayists in this collection reflect on these and other pertinent questions.The common thread linking these authors is that all have distinguished themselves in their respective fields or professions and all wish to advance spirituality in business. Contributors to Business, Religion, and Spirituality provide a sober, but positive, prognosis for this new growth in spirituality while offering direction for the future.

The new emphasis on spirituality in the workplace has been widely discussed in recent years and reported in major publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Fortune. Spirituality seems to be a basic human good essential for human flourishing. The contributors to this volume are all proponents of spirituality in the workplace, yet all raise important questions about this movement and what it means. What are the moral questions that should guide leaders? Is spirituality being treated as simply an instrumental good, valued for its usefulness in enhancing productivity and well-being? What are the responsibilities of business leaders? Of business schools and their faculty? Of churches? The essayists in this collection reflect on these and other pertinent questions.The common thread linking these authors is that all have distinguished themselves in their respective fields or professions and all wish to advance spirituality in business. Contributors to Business, Religion, and Spirituality provide a sober, but positive, prognosis for this new growth in spirituality while offering direction for the future.

Economic Imperatives and Ethical Values in Global Business offers an in-depth and systematic analysis of the workings of the Sullivan Principles and their impact on the interactions of foreign corporations with South Africa. Published for the first time in the United States, this book interprets how the experience of the Sullivan Principles might instruct the process of developing codes of ethics as large multinational corporations cope with issues of human rights, living and working conditions of workers, environmental protection, and sustainable growth in their overseas manufacturing operations.

Peace through Commerce: Responsible Corporate Citizenship and the Ideals of the United Nations Global Compact contains a foreword, introduction, and twenty-one chapters by major business leaders and scholars who discuss the issues set out by the UN Global Compact. The chapters address the purpose of the corporation; the influence of legal and peace studies; the experience of career NGO officials and of business leaders; how commerce can help promote peace; and how we might envision the future. Ten case studies document the efforts of individual businesses, including IBM, Chevron, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, General Electric, Nestle, and Ford, to successfully serve society's interests as well as their own. Peace through Commerce will lay the groundwork for courses in business schools on corporate social responsibility, corporate citizenship, and global environment of business.Contributors: Mark Moody-Stuart, Oliver F. Williams, C.S.C., Marilise Smurthwaite, Timothy L. Fort , Michelle Westermann-Behaylo, Douglass Cassel, Sean O'Brien, John Paul Lederach, Willie Esterhuyse, Mary Anderson, David B. Lowry, Donal A. O'Neill, Klaus M. Leisinger, Ofelia C. Eugenio, Brigitte Hélène Scherrer, Samery Abdelnour, Babiker Badri, Oana Branzei, Susan McGrath, David Wheeler, Gerald F. Cavanagh, S.J., Mary Ann Hazen, Brad Simmons, David Berdish, John Bee, Lisa Newton, Stanley Litow, Marshall Greenhut, Bob Corcoran, Daniel Malan, Alexandra Guáqueta, Thomas Costa, Lee Tavis, and Carolyn Y. Woo.

For business to flourish, society must flourish. In today's global economy, business serves the common good not only by producing goods and services but also by reaching out to the many who are not even in the market because they lack marketable skills and the resources to acquire them. Sustainable Development: The UN Millennium Development Goals, the UN Global Compact, and the Common Good contains twenty-two essays that document the work of Western companies, working through the UN Global Compact and its Principles of Responsible Investment and the Principles for Responsible Management Education, to shape more peaceful and just societies. Seven case studies by leading businesses and private-public partnerships—including Microsoft, Merck, Sumitomo Chemical, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Novartis, and Levi Strauss—outline their projects, especially those advancing the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) designed to alleviate dire poverty. Twelve chapters reflect on some of the conceptual issues involved with the MDGs, and the three concluding essays examine the future of the UN Global Compact, of the Millennium Development Goals, and of the role of business enterprise in society.

Over the last 30 years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a household term, reflecting a combination of factors that we have come to associate with that most catch-all of terms "globalization," including the widespread popular concern with such social issues as the environment and international human rights. Corporate Social Responsibility examines the history of the idea of business ethics (which goes back at least to ancient Mesopotamia) before exploring the state of CSR today. This book argues that a wide-ranging understanding of the purpose of business is necessary to create value for a community of stakeholders which in turn can generate a sustainable future. The book suggests that corporations still have a long way to go, but remains optimistic. The book’s sanguine interpretation of the current state of corporate affairs and a recommended way forward, results not only from the authors analysis, but also his direct experience. This book presents the case that we are in the midst of a major paradigm shift in our understanding of the purpose of business and that this new understanding holds much promise for business being a significant force for a more just and peaceful world.This work provides a concise overview of CSR and an important examination of the present and future work of the UN Global Compact and will be of interest to students of international organizations, international business and corporate social responsibility.

Over the last 30 years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a household term, reflecting a combination of factors that we have come to associate with that most catch-all of terms "globalization," including the widespread popular concern with such social issues as the environment and international human rights. Corporate Social Responsibility examines the history of the idea of business ethics (which goes back at least to ancient Mesopotamia) before exploring the state of CSR today. This book argues that a wide-ranging understanding of the purpose of business is necessary to create value for a community of stakeholders which in turn can generate a sustainable future. The book suggests that corporations still have a long way to go, but remains optimistic. The book’s sanguine interpretation of the current state of corporate affairs and a recommended way forward, results not only from the authors analysis, but also his direct experience. This book presents the case that we are in the midst of a major paradigm shift in our understanding of the purpose of business and that this new understanding holds much promise for business being a significant force for a more just and peaceful world.This work provides a concise overview of CSR and an important examination of the present and future work of the UN Global Compact and will be of interest to students of international organizations, international business and corporate social responsibility.

This book undertakes an in-depth study and a systematic analysis of the workings of the Sullivan Principles and their impact on: the operations of the US corporation in South Africa; the process of the dismantling of apartheid and creation of a non-racial, democratic government in South Africa; and the actions of multinational corporations from other countries and large South African corporations in emulating the behaviour of US multinational corporations and thereby enlarging their impact through a multiplier effect. The objective of this text is to learn from the experience of the Sullivan Principles, and interpret how this experience might be translated into developing "rules of the game" and "codes of business ethics" as large multinational corporations continue to confront the issues of human rights, living and working conditions of workers in their overseas manufacturing operations, and where there is constant pressure on the corporations to pay more attention to environmental protection, sustainable growth, and preservation of biodiversity.

In this book, eleven distinguished contributors examine such recent cases as the Exxon Valdez crisis, Johnson and Johnson's Tylenol decisions, and Procter and Gamble's Rely product recall to assess the contribution of narrative theology and theories of virtue on the current discussion of the ethics of business management. Co-published with the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Religious Values in Business.

religious values at the office door. Apartheid was an evil, and business had great power in South Africa. Where there is power, there is also responsibil­ ity. I prayed about this long and hard. I pushed the companies as much as I thought I could. There were advances and there were setbacks, but finally we prevailed and the Blacks of South Africa secured their freedom. My effort in behalf of the Sullivan Principles was only one of a number of significant efforts of the anti-apartheid movement. All of those other efforts must be recognized, as well. The Sullivan Principles and the manner in which they were implemented in South Africa were in the nature of a grand experiment in the sociopolitical change and economic uplifting of the Black people of South Africa. What is even more important is that the Principles were driven by an ethical and moral imperative, and were voluntarily implemented by a group of enlight­ ened United States multinational corporations. No grand design or vision is ever perfect. We fall prey to human follies, limited understanding of the future, and necessary compromises to seek not what is perfect but what is possible. Thus, any such effort is subject to criticism from those who seek ideological purity and those who seek to minimize the impact of change from the status quo . .